I am thankful ….. How about you?

Here I sit on the final day of Term 1 for our students, surrounded by a good number of tasks demanding attention, wondering how the past ten weeks slipped by so quickly.  I must affirm the hard-working staff who are creating opportunities in and beyond the classroom for students to shine and explore their talents.  Examples of this range from a record 17 Senior School teams committing to the Kokoda Challenge this year, to students competing in the ‘Language Perfect’ competition in the past fortnight where we gained 1^st place in Queensland in German in the 550+ students category (from 46 schools competing) and 16^th place in Japanese (from a whopping 330 teams competing), to scores of Junior Schoolers excitedly preparing to present ‘The Lion King Jr’ in September.

The very best part of my day is walking into classes. The variety of coursework and depth of inquiry, as an educational leader, gives me joy and deep satisfaction for my vocation.  When “our” important is sometimes encroached by someone else’s insistence of “urgent”, it is easy to become distracted or even disoriented.  And here we are again, amidst the maelstrom of matters related to COVID-19 (and rightly so to be concerned), though it too provides an opportunity to be mindful and thankful of that which has deep worth – growth and learning, relationships with family and friends, and one’s faith.

Happy Easter to all St Andrews families.  Easter is my favourite Christian season.  Well beyond the sorrow of Good Friday, it is a time to be uplifted by a Redeemer who came to us and remains with us as the ultimate source of Hope, Love, Peace and Joy.  Easter is my “special” time when I lay the things that burden me at the foot of the Cross and rejoice in a loving relationship with a living God.  I hope and pray that your family has an opportunity to find time and space for thanksgiving this weekend.

Term 2 beckons…..

Peace and Grace

David Bliss
Principal

Easter is God’s Ultimate rescue of humanity. All through the Old Testament He works patiently with his chosen people, the Israelites, but time and time again they ‘go their own way’ and turn their backs on Him. This invariably results in them suffering great pain and hardship. The Israelites were incapable of maintaining a vibrant, life-giving relationship with their God. They were proud people who believed they could manage life themselves and hold God at arm’s length. They established the terms of their connection with him, rather than submitting to his authority and receiving his love and care.

It is against this background that God the Father sent His Son Jesus into our world 2,000 years ago to rescue humanity from the mess we create when left to our own devices. Jesus entered a broken, violent world and lived a sinless, perfect existence. His mission was and still is today, to rescue us from the self-centredness and selfishness that resides in each of us.

He fulfilled his mission by taking upon himself all the destruction we wreak on ourselves and others as we ‘Go our own way’ and forgiving us! This sounds an abstract concept, and it is, but when we recognise that we are in need of rescuing it can have a profound effect on our worldview and ultimately all that we hold as important in life. Jesus' forgiveness frees us from our natural tendency to compete with others. It frees us from our need to judge others and speak ill of them. It replaces these destructive traits with love for all people. This is the rescue the all-powerful creator of the universe has worked through His Son Jesus, through his death on the cross at the first Easter and his rising from the grave. Receiving God’s love for us through Jesus appropriates the greatest rescue there can ever be in our lives. May we celebrate this at Easter and on into all of our life to come. 

Graeme Schache
Lay Chaplain and Middle Senior School Teacher

CELEBRATING THE GOSPEL – HAPPY EASTER

In our last newsletter, a fortnight ago, I spoke about nurturing the individual which is one of three statements that form our mission statement here at St Andrews. Now as we head in to our Easter weekend, I’d like to focus this week on the first part of our mission statement, ‘Celebrating the Gospel’. Celebrating the Gospel refers to celebrating the Good News of Jesus Christ. That being, God’s incredible love for us, His death on the cross for our transgressions and His resurrection. Jesus’ desire to live in relationship with us and to offer us eternal life.  As we enjoy this Easter break, with chocolate eggs and hot cross buns, may we be reminded of the true meaning of Easter, be grateful for God’s love for us and truly celebrate this good news.   

TERM 1

This past term has certainly flown by and has been both productive and successful.  Just last week we had our Futsal teams make finals and our top swimmers compete and place in the Queensland championships at Chandler. Our Debating teams have begun their competition and are off to a great start. Our Languages department excelled in the recent Education Perfect World Champions and individual students continue to excel in their speech and drama exams.

And just this week, we hoped to finish the term with a large-scale whole school Easter Service, again celebrating the Gospel and showcasing our talented students in song and dance. Yet, instead we hit COVID-19 regulations and again ended Term 1 differently. 

So instead of our Easter Service, please enjoy this link for a short Easter reminder of God’s blessings;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZqTRSVA1YA.

There will also be an official College Easter video made available for you to enjoy.

COMING UP IN TERM 2

Term 2 will see our Year 7, 8 and Year 9 students on camp.  Our Secondary School Cross-Country run will be in the first week back, Thursday, 22 April. So, plenty of holiday training for all.  Our Kokoda teams will continue to train hard in preparation for their Kokoda Challenge events at either the end of Term 2 or start of Term 3.  

The first week back will also include our own College ANZAC Service, as well as involvement in both the Burleigh March and our Choir singing National Anthems in the televised Currumbin Service.  In Week 3, three-way conferences, with parent, student and teacher will also be offered, more information to follow in the coming weeks.

God bless you all this Easter and stay safe.

Adele Ramsay
Deputy Principal Head of Secondary School

VIRTUES OF WISDOM AND COURAGE

While we value the pursuit of academic personal bests there is nothing more fulfilling than helping our young people tap into their strengths – those qualities that are reflected in 6 positive psychology values of Courage, Wisdom, Humanity, Justice, Transcendence and Temperance. In Term 1 our focus was on Courage and Wisdom – the courage to act and the wisdom to know when. Some examples of the Character Strengths that fall under these Virtues include; love of learning, perseverance, curiosity, honesty.  During our final assembly for this term the Senior School students talked about those strengths that they might have underused, overused or got just right (see table below for examples of what this might look like). This generated a lot of conversation amongst the students and their teachers and was a good way to reflect on what those strengths can look like at their best. If any parents would like to identify their top Character Strengths from the 24 universal strengths as recognised through the work of positive psychologists Seligman, Peterson, Park and others they can do the free questionnaire on the following link: https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register

I also had an opportunity to thank our students for a great term, for acting on the expectation of uniform so positively and took the opportunity to remind them that in Term 2 it is winter uniform (blazers, long pants and ties, navy stockings for the ladies). Also, girls skirt lengths must be addressed so they are knee length not mid-thigh.  

Congratulations to:

• The Year 12 Health class who ran a successful campaign advocating for greater awareness around the issue of homelessness in Australia, particularly youth homelessness as well as enabling our young people in the Senior School to act. Their actions that made a difference:
  • donations of food and clothing to local agent Gold Coast Youth Services, 
  • contacted the Federal member for Housing and Homelessness to advocate for the government to do more to address this concerning and growing social issue, 
  • helped to promote our free dress day to raise money for homeless charity, Rosies – over $1900 was collected,
  • ran an Assembly to address the stereotypes that exist in society around homelessness and its causes.  

If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me on tanias@salc.qld.edu.au

Tania Stewart
Head of Senior School

We have come to the end of a very busy, productive term. Most students have pushed to the end and worked hard to achieve their personal bests.

I hope all students and families have a restful Easter break.

Please take note of the following important dates for Term 2.

CAMP

Year 7               28/4 – 30/4      Kokoda Park
Year 8               11/5 – 14/5      Camp Kokoda

NAPLAN

After a COVID-induced twelve month hiatus the annual NAPLAN Tests are back for 2021.  These tests form part of the National Assessment Program and are carried out each May for students in Years 3,5,7 & 9. 

In 2021 the College will be participating in the online version of the program and students in Years 7 and Year 9 will be sitting the tests through Weeks 4 and 5 next term.  These students will also be sitting a practice test early next term to ensure familiarity with protocols and device use.  This practice test is part of the expected program in the lead up to the NAPLAN Tests.

NAPLAN is a compulsory element of our schooling and all state authorities expect participation; however, the College recognises parental responsibility in this matter.  An information sheet provided by ACARA is attached for your interest.  Should you have any questions about the Tests then please feel free to contact Mr Tom Casey at the College by email (tomc@salc.qld.edu.au).

Naplan Online – Information For Parents And Carers

Lisa Roper
Head of Middle School

2021 LANGUAGE AMBASSADORS

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected as College Languages Ambassadors for 2021.

The Middle School Language Ambassadors are:

• Coco B
• Asha C
• Sophia T
• Zoe W

The Senior School Language Ambassadors are:

• Caylin N
• Lotte R
• Lilah T

2021 EDUCATION PERFECT COMPETITION

Our language students at St Andrews are amazing!  Amidst a very busy assessment period, our students managed to compete in the 2021 Education Perfect competition and came 28^th in Australia (out of 278 schools).

What’s even more exciting is that our German students came 1^st in German for the Queensland category of 250 – 500 language learners.  Our Japanese learners also did very well, coming in 5^th in Queensland for the same category.

The following students won a Fat Chicken $10 Voucher as they scored the most points for their language and year level.  Congratulations goes to:

• Year 7 German               Finn H
• Year 8 German               Annie R
• Year 9 German               Zoe W
• Year 10 German             Lachie R
• Year 11 German             Lilah T
• Year 12 German             Tyrone W
• Year 7 Japanese             Claire G
• Year 8 Japanese             Tobias B
• Year 9 Japanese             Asha C
• Year 10 Japanese           Michael M
• Year 11 Japanese           Eliza T
• Year 12 Japanese           Laura M

A special mention needs to be made to Year 7 student, Finn H, who earned the most points out of all of our language students.

Thanks for all our Language staff who help our students achieve their best.

Dani Goucher
Head of International Students and Languages 

Somerset Storyfest is a magical time for anyone who loves books – for example, me! Last Friday, while at the festival, I gained boundless amounts of knowledge about books, authors and their techniques for writing.  

I found the authors entrancing in the way that they talked about writing their books and they conveyed such passion whilst speaking about their stories. In particular, the worlds they had created made me want to become a Writer. Personally, my favourite author was Lili Wilkinson. Her technique involved a dance party, which I loved. She talked about sparkly ideas that formed in her head and took hold of her until she wrote them down. She told us that there is no such thing as writer’s block, and that it is just a form of procrastination. To get past it, she said that she would put some music on and start dancing - I loved that bit! She would compile a list of about fifteen ideas and always found that at least one of them would be a sparkly idea. Lili really inspired me, and I was lucky enough to get a signed book of hers. Storyfest was a highly enjoyable experience and I would most definitely go again if given the chance.

Evie M
Year 8

QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (QUT) ENGINEERING DAY

On Saturday, 27 March, a group of four of my Physics Andrians (Coen C, Hugo G, Rowan T and Jarrod W), attended the QUT Engineering Link Project. The students were transported to and from Brisbane by their parents. Student feedback from the interesting Project Day was highly positive, with the following comments:

“We were able to choose two fields of Engineering for the day and we participated in learning and solving complex problems in collaboration with other students from South East Queensland. It was a fine opportunity to not only expand our capabilities within the realms of Physics and Mathematics, but also to interact with intelligent students who shared similar interests. Attending the Engineering Link Project at QUT is an event that I would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in concepts that underpin the Elements of Design and Communication in Engineering industries.” 

Eliza T, Year 11

Our sincere thanks to the organisers from QUT.

Dr Gordon Naidoo
Senior Physics Master

This year, Year 11’s and 12’s participated in NAPCAN’s highly regarded Love Bites program. 

This program focused on the development of respectful relationships for young people in Years 11 and 12. The programs aim to provide a safe environment in which young people can discuss and learn about their rights and responsibilities in relationships and look at ways to access support when needed.  A large part of the Love Bites program discussed issues of relationship violence, consent and supports available when things are not going well, in a relationship.

Overall, the young people reported that they felt it was very valuable learning.  

This learning seemed quite timely in the current Australian political landscape.  With significant attention being given to the responsibilities of men and women, from our governing bodies to those experiencing this from their lounge room television. 

You may notice your young people connecting some of their learning at Love Bites with some of what is occurring in national conversation.

An important question was raised in our young people’s conversation during the program and through their feedback opportunities.  

 “What about men?”

“Men experience violence too – what about them?”

It can be a difficult answer to provide our young people, however no answer has ever been more important. It is difficult because men matter a lot.  Violence against men is unacceptable and all too frequent.  The issue is – men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of violence against men and they are also, overwhelmingly the perpetrators of violence against women.

• 1 in 3 Australian women (34.2%) has experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by a man since the age of 15.
• 1 in 4 Australian women (23.0%) has experienced physical or sexual violence by current or former intimate partner since age 15.
• Intimate partner violence is the third greatest health risk factor for women aged 25-44, with the first being childhood abuse and neglect.

Ourwatch.org.au

On a personal note, I was proud and encouraged by the participation of the St Andrews young men.  Both our male and our female students engaged in great conversation, asked insightful questions and participated with enthusiasm and importance. I left feeling encouraged and hopeful.

When the questions come up – what about men? I encourage you to help your children see violence against women as our collective responsibility. Ask, what are your thoughts about the statistics? What can you do to prevent this violence? Ask your kids, where a woman might seek help if she experienced violence – I am confident that you would be left proud by their response.

Whatever you do – encourage your young men to feel empowered by their ability to create change.  Encourage your young women to know the unquestionable importance of this issue, worthy of national conversation and debate. 

If you are concerned about whether or not, you should have the difficult conversation with your children, I hope it helps to know, that your children are armed with valuable insights and have demonstrated that they care and want to contribute to this national conversation.

In support.

Kate Bowyer
College Counsellor

Here are some images taken during our Love Bites workshop.

HARMONY DAY

The CRC has participated in the United Nations International Day Against Racial Discrimination on 21 March.  A number of books focusing on discussing racial and gender equality were displayed alongside an array of colourful decorated hands, which were created by the Cultural Awareness Committee, run by Georgia W and Charlotte R from Year 11, and open to Years 7-12 on Friday Week B in the CRC.

FUSE CUP

Kane, Rhys, Jack and Max from Years 9 and 10 competed in the Federation of United Schools Esports (FUSE) Cup in Rocket League. This was an excellent opportunity to develop interpersonal skills, healthy gaming behaviours and sportspersonship.

POETRY COMPETITION

World Poetry Day, which coincided with Harmony Day on Sunday, 21 March was also advertised by the CRC by holding a poetry competition. Congratulations to the winners who won QBD vouchers! 

Haiku 

1^st place: Sam K from Year 7

2^nd place: Harri T from Year 8

Free Verse

1^st place: Marley M from Year 10 

2^nd place: Sam C from Year 10 

Teacher Division

1^st place: Mrs Louise Thorpe

CREATIVE WRITING AND BOOK CLUB

On Wednesdays at Second break in the CRC, Josie H from Year 11 runs the Creative Writing and Book Club. Open to Years 7-12, this exciting club delves into a different genre every term, with a plethora of fun activities such as prompt writing, group story-making and more, as well as discussing each person’s chosen book for the term.

 ASK A LIBRARIAN

Your Librarians are always happy to help with research, finding resources, book recommendations and IT support. We also love to chat about books, life and the universe.  Come in and chat to us or email us directly:

• Teacher Librarian: Barbara Kristo
• Digital Content and Resource Integration Library Aide: Briana Norton
• Literacy, Reading and Resourcing Library Aide: Yvonne Barrett

Warmest regards,

Student trainee Georgia Wright 
On behalf of the the CRC Library Team

CELEBRATING THE GOSPEL

This is a key aspect of our mission statement and is foundational to all that we do here at St Andrews. A central part to the Gospel message is what we remember at Easter. That Jesus Christ died on the cross so that our sins are forgiven. It is the ultimate sacrifice and gives us the freedom to live our lives in the knowledge that we can live our lives freely as children of God. As we open our Easter Eggs this Easter, we are reminded of Jesus’ death, but we are also reminded of the empty tomb when Jesus resurrected from the grave. 

The holiday break is a good time to rest from the rigours of day to day school life and get outside for some fun. I wish to take this opportunity to wish every St Andrews family a wonderful Easter break, a special time with your families and a happy and safe holiday.

CHILDREN’S SAFETY

We have had several reports from motorists who have shared concerns with some practices of our parents which is putting their own children’s lives at risk to save a few minutes. For example, parking in Larch Street and crossing Tallebudgera Creek Road is extremely dangerous and is a practice that the College strongly discourages. There have also been reports of illegal parking which causes visibility issues. For the sake of your children and others please follow the road rules and allow yourself enough time to collect them safely. 

I would encourage you to use some of our Active School Travel Initiatives of:

• Riding a bike
• Walking to school or parking off site and walking to school, crossing the road at the supervised crossing near Daffodil Street. 
• Catching a bus
• Carpooling

Over the holidays a mural will be painted to remind us of these travel safe initiatives. On 21 April this will be unveiled. Students who use travel smart initiatives can come and enjoy a healthy breakfast and meet Zero the Hero.

ANZAC DAY

This ANZAC Day we will be joining the March at Burleigh. Please meet at James Street at 9:00 am and join us for the march on 25 April. 

Darrin Schumacher
Deputy Principal Head of Junior School

WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO A MISTAKE?

For many of us making a mistake brings out varied responses – anything from shame, blame, denial or withdrawal. Mistakes are inevitable for us all – we are human after all! But we rarely want these mistakes to be highlighted.

In fact, it depends on the type of mistake we make as to how we respond. If I make a mistake by speeding accidentally by a few km’s – I can quickly readjust what I’m doing and make the right choice. But for me, if I forget to meet a deadline – I might use some negative self-talk until I realise that it isn’t helpful and I just need to get it done.

At school we ask our students to celebrate making mistakes? Why? Because we know that mistakes are all about learning. What we want to avoid is an overpowering shame response to making a mistake so that we can get on with the learning.

Brene Brown has defined shame as “The intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging. “I am bad.” “I am a mess.” The focus is on self, not behaviour, with the result that we feel alone. Shame is never known to lead us toward positive change.”

You may be able to relate to some times your child has shown a shame response of denying the incident, or blaming someone else, or withdrawing, or even saying quite negative things about themselves. Or maybe all of these and some others thrown in.

We want our children to grow through the challenges, so how do we support them best through this time?

• Lead by example – talk about the mistakes we make and the feelings it brings up for ourselves.
• Give space for your child to work through their responses – but ensure safety and dignity (if the response is quite dramatic – give them the solitude they need).
• Deep breathing to help calm emotions.
• Talk through ‘How big is the problem/mistake?’. Put it on a scale of 1 to 10 to put it in perspective.
• Encourage your child to think of some different solutions after all – there is always another way to solve a problem.
• Celebrate the mistake – make a mistake-making wall at home and all add to it (add what you have learnt too).
• Separate the behaviour from the person – I don’t like what you did but I love you.

But mostly we want our children to know it is okay to make mistakes…sometimes the mistake is not liked but our children are always loved for who they are. Our mistakes do not define who we are but they can help us to grow and learn!

Easter blessings,

Karen Koehler
Deputy Head of Junior School Pastoral

Karen Andrews MP, Federal Member for McPherson 

Year 6 was very fortunate to have Karen Andrews MP, our local representative, visit St Andrews. She helped us gain a deeper understanding of her role and answered multiple student questions. We now know more about her work as the Minister for Home Affairs and her previous role as Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. Mrs Andrews also handed out certificates to acknowledge our recent visit to Parliament House.

Izzy, Piper and Georgia
Year 6 Students

As part of our 'Who We Are Unit' of Inquiry, the Year 1 students inquired into what it means to have a healthy body and mind. A part of this was exploring our daily routines and how they help with our personal hygiene and overall health. Within our inquiry cycle, we went further and made deeper connections to the real world. We evaluated our diets by looking into the five food groups. Through discussions generated from our Lines of Inquiry, alongside our learning intentions and success criteria, students were eager to create their own unique bars of soap. They also made their own beeswax wrap to use to wrap their healthy lunchbox foods. Students took agency and evaluated the risks associated with these activities and demonstrated excellent communication skills in establishing relevant safety procedures. It was wonderful to see the students’ faces when they were able to see and smell their finished products!

Many thanks
The Year 1 Team

HARMONY DAY

Harmony Week Celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and the theme this year was – Everyone Belongs. Students had fun creating harmony hands for our library display and enjoyed a library lesson with a chosen picture book that fosters positive attitudes around inclusiveness.  

ROBOTICS

Students in Years 2, 4 and 5 have used robotics as part of their Unit of Inquiry this term. 

Year 2 students enjoyed programming their blue bots to travel around the world, using directional language and co-ordinates.

Students in Year 4 have learned to programme the dash robot using block coding to solve problems. They used animations, sounds and complex sequences of coding.  

Year 5 students are learning to programme the EV3 Lego Mindstorms. Using the design thinking process students will design a city and code their robot through a series of streets and obstacles. 

MILLIONAIRES CLUB

Congratulations to the following students who have entered the Millionaires Club. These students have read over one million words and completed comprehension quizzes in their Literacy Pro programme. Super effort!

Mickyle Z 5A
Luca Z 5B
Finn N 5B
Alex M 5B
Marcus K 6A
Ethan C 6A
Dylan A 6A
Cassia P 5C

Vikki Rees
Teacher Librarian/ICT Coordinator

FUTSAL

Congratulations to all the teams who recently competed in the Brisbane Metro Futsal Finals Day. The results of this Touch competition were outstanding. Our 14 Boys and Open Girls teams both made the grand final only to be beaten by one goal. The 15 Boys and Open Boys teams displayed outstanding skills and commitment, but both lost in golden goal in the semi-finals. We already have four teams through to the Champion of Champions and hope to add more to this achievement when all teams compete again next term in the Gold Coast Futsal Titles.

CROSS COUNTRY

The Year 7-12 Cross Country Carnival will once again be held at Schuster’s Park on Thursday 22 April. The first event will start at 12:30pm. Parents are welcome to come and watch but must sign in and register their details at the registration tent. Anyone who is displaying any flu like signs or symptoms should not attend.  Let’s hope the weather stays dry for us so we can enjoy this school event and give the Houses another opportunity to earn vital House Shield points.

TOUCH

There are two opportunities in Term 2 for our students to play Touch:

1. Friday night Club Touch – this is open to all levels and abilities. We will enter teams from the Under 8’s to the Under 14’s. This competition runs for Term 2. Students who have played before or who are keen to learn are both welcome.  Please see the information on how to register. At this stage just register under SALC and then the age and gender. I will organise teams when we are back at school next term.
2. Ocean Cup – this is for students who are in the High School that have some playing experience. This is a competition specifically targeting preparation for Qld All Schools at the end of the year. Once again, I have set up teams in the following age groups:
   1. St Andrews Lutheran College – 13 Girls
   2. St Andrews Lutheran College – 13 Boys
   3. St Andrews Lutheran College – 15 Girls
   4. St Andrews Lutheran College – 15 Boys
   5. St Andrews Lutheran College – Open Mixed

Libby Wood
Head of Senior School Sport

A welcome return to gallery visits has occurred for Years 10, 11 and 12 this term.

Year 10 attended the Archibald Prize at Tweed River Art Gallery to gather inspiration for their own self portrait unit. They have been working hard to get their portraits finished before the holidays and have creatively expressed themselves. I look forward to a Pop-up Gallery of portraits early next term!

Year 11 and 12 braved the rain and the M1 and headed to QAGOMA for the Gordon Bennett show and the Collage exhibition. Seeing artworks of the scale of Bennett reinforced to the students that sometimes bigger can be better, and to fully understand the feelings of displacement, a struggle with identity and his reaction to world events, we need to see the work on a large wall space, and in the flesh, rather than just onscreen.  

Many students were intrigued by the “black history” walkway, where the words “a black history” covered the entire floor of one exhibition space, and then was walked on by the audience as they looked at the work on the walls, thus many of the sections of wording had faded to nothing. Some of the comments of our students included “how can people not see what they are walking on?” and “why don’t people seem to care that they are walking on the words?” A powerful moment for many of our senior artists. 

Bennett is also one of few artists to tackle the atrocities of September 11 in his artwork, and many of our young artists immediately recognised the imagery, although they were not born when September 11 happened. This was again another major moment in their experience at QAGOMA.

As always, excursions like this could not happen without the support of many, a shout out to Jeff the fabulous bus driver, Di at Main Reception for all her hard work behind the scenes, and Tia Bennett and Jo Brierley for attending on the days. Such a powerful experience that will now impact our students in their art making for 2021. 

Ngaire Harman
Visual Arts Coordinator 

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Congratulations to Ally C and Jacob D who topped the State in their recent Speech and Drama Exams. Ally received the highest result in Queensland for Grade 4 Trinity London Exams in Speech and Drama. Jacob received the highest result in Queensland for Grade 2 AMEB Speech and Performance. 

Both have been invited to perform later in the year as part of the Barbara Sisley Awards held at Parliament House.

SHEP MIDDLE SCHOOL

(State Honours Ensemble Program)

This initiative run by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music offers an extension opportunity for some of our young vocalists.

Congratulations to the following students who have been accepted into SHEP Choir.

Emily B
Lylah H
Amelie L-S
Mia M
Abbey M
Evie M
Scarlett T
Colby W

VOCAL ENSEMBLE INVITED TO PERFORM AT ANZAC DAWN SERVICE

Our Vocal Ensemble have been invited to sing both the Australian and NZ National Anthems at the Currumbin RSL’s Dawn Service for ANZAC Day. This is an honour and our students are very much looking forward to being part of such a special service.

DRAMA FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE AFTERNOON

Monday 10 May at 4:30pm
Ruth Butler Theatre

Our Middle School Elective will present their production of The Seussification of a Midsummer Night’s Dream. The play gives Shakespeare’s most beloved comedy the full Seuss treatment. 

Our Year 9/10 Drama Class will perform their production of One Act Play Disaster that follows a group as they attempt to perform a 35 minute version of Ocean’s Eleven – only the lighting operator is out for revenge, the smooth talking con man has crippling stage fright, the acrobat is completely uncoordinated, the lead is on crutches, and the understudy insists on reading the stage directions.

Cilla Scott
Head of Arts department  

Winter Uniform for Senior Students in Year 10-12

Girls in Year 10-12 are to wear blazers every day for Term 2 and Term 3, including tie.

Formal jumpers are to be worn underneath the blazer if required. Girls dress pants are also optional for Term 2 and 3.

Boys in Year 10-12 are to wear every day for Term 2 and Term 3 grey trousers, belt, black/navy socks, senior shirt with tie and blazer. Formal jumpers are to be worn underneath the blazer if required.

Ben Gehrke Class of 2011

"My name is Ben Gehrke. I was School Captain and a graduate of St Andrews from 2011. I currently work as a Senior Physiotherapist at John Flynn Hospital, a sessional lecturer for Griffith University's Master of Physiotherapy program, and teach people to play drums from my business, Drumlab.

What is your advice for younger students of St Andrews Lutheran College?

You will be surprised at just how many of your fellow classmates will be a part of your life into adulthood. Be kind to each other and cherish your friendships, one day you will all be helping each other out in the real world with your various talents.

How did St Andrews prepare you to reach your goals?

The teaching staff took a genuine interest in every one of us and worked their best to help us improve as students and people. The teachers could recognise interests and natural abilities and fostered these talents.

Who was influential in reaching your goal?

Ms Gendi Moore, my Year 10-12 music teacher, will always be remembered by myself and everybody she came into contact with for her incredible passion for music and life itself.

What were your favourite classes?

Music, Physics, and Sport (go Gowandi!).

Could you describe one of your typical work days?

I will usually start my morning down in the intensive care unit (ICU), treating the respiratory and circulatory systems of ventilated patients and getting patients who have been very unwell to attempt some form of exercise. This continues in the wards and physio gym where I can use a variety of equipment (treadmills, weights, rails) to rehabilitate and help improve the strength, balance and mobility of higher-level patients. Most of my work involves people who have had strokes, heart attacks, fractures, amputations or are medically unwell... it is very rewarding work!"

MARCH

Wednesday 31
Term 1 Concludes

APRIL

Friday 2 
Good Friday

Sunday 4
Easter Sunday

Monday 5
Easter Monday

Monday 19
TERM 2 begins

Wednesday 21
Active School Travel
Kokoda Information Night

Thursday 22
Year 4 to 6 Cross Country
Year 7 to 12 Cross Country

Friday 23
P-12 ANZAC Service (TBC)

https://www.entbook.com.au/14404l5